Amendment filed to delay trans ban

Kirsten Gillibrand and Susan Collins have filed an amendment to the NDAA that would delay implementation of the ban on transgender people serving in the military.

Action on the ban would be delayed until at least 60 days after SecDef Mattis finalizes his review and submits a report to Congress, which is expected to take us to spring of 2018.

Mattis has until Feb. 21 to turn over a plan to the White House on how to implement Trump's directive, including how to address transgender individuals that are currently serving in the military.

There's no guarantee that the Gillibrand-Collins proposal will get a vote. More than 300 amendments have been submitted to the Senate NDAA. The annual bill's status as must-pass legislation makes it a lightning rod for lawmakers hoping to change an administration's defense and foreign policy.

The Senate is scheduled to take its first vote tied to the NDAA on Monday evening, when lawmakers will move toward starting debate.